Things Observed at the County Fair

We took the kids to the county fair the other night.  The weather was absolutely perfect which is unusual for early August.  A summer of heat induced hibernation meant one thing on that gorgeous night…LOTS of people were out making for a fascinating night of people watching. In no particular order, here are a few disturbing "interesting" observations:

·    A mother standing completely upright with her shirt pulled up nursing her baby in front of one of the kiddy rides – no nursing cover or anything (I should note that I am currently a nursing mother and this was....for lack of a better word without sounding judgemental "gutsy").

·    Teenage girls consider it a bold fashion statement to let their butt cheeks hang below their shorts (this is very disturbing to me).

·    Teenage boys have no consistent fashion statement other than acne.

·    Cow manure is the strongest of all manures that we had the great pleasure of sniffing.

·    I am now addicted to nicotine from the gobs of second hand smoke.

·    I still get queasy just looking at the ferris wheel.

·    Watching junior high kids flirt is very uncomfortable (never.want.to.be.that.age.again)

And there you have it...

I’m in LOVE

Dearest Trader Joes,

You’ve captured my heart.  Your fancy food with quality ingredients and prices has had me driving all the way to Missouri TWICE this week just to catch a glimpse of you.  Please take up residence in Olathe.  I would like to maintain our relationship, but I cannot do it with such distance.  Did you know my middle name is Jo?  Coincidence?!?  My heart tells me no. 

Fondly yours,

Michaela 

Last Week of Work

So last week was my final week at work.  I've entered retirement at the ripe old age of 31.  My retirement fund will be drawn in the form of dirty diapers and sloppy kisses and I couldn't be more thrilled.  What a STRANGE feeling it was last week knowing that this was my last working Monday, my last working Tuesday, etc.  I've gone from a working mother to a laboring mother.  Now the real challenge begins.

Life for the new few weeks will feel much like a vacation and not a true retirement.  Marcel leaves for a worship conference on Wednesday so my mom is going to spend a few days with us.  When Marcel returns we'll have a few more days of family time before he heads back to school for the year.  And then my sweet Jadon will start kindergarten a few days after that.  The reality of my retirement probably won't sink in until the school year has started and I'll be forced to find my new normal routine with sweetie #1 and sweetie #2. 

I would like to stop and savor this moment.  There will be many things that I miss about working (namely the people), but I have prayed to be a stay at home mom for over 5 years now.  I wept when I was 5 months pregnant with my first at the thought of leaving this little life in someone else's care.  I thank those that have helped me in caring for him along this journey.  Although I would have liked to have been home with him full time, we've had some great ladies in our life who have loved him like their own.  You know who you are and you rock!  My sincerest thank you.

To any of you working mothers out there struggling with the balance of life, kids, mortgages, jobs, family, friends, etc., drop the guilt and drop to your knees.  He has a plan for you and your family and it is grander than you can imagine.

5K

I ran a 5k race this past weekend…well actually I would call it more of a 5k run.  I don’t consider what I did to be “racing.”  I kept pace with a guy that had a bum knee, or maybe it was a bum hamstring.  Heck, it was probably both.  My moment of glory came when I passed said gimp with about 800 meters to go and pumped my chest out as I crossed the finish line Boston marathon style.  It felt good!  It was the first time that I’ve run an organized event since giving birth in February.  It was good for my soul.  Running is one of those things that has just grown on me over the last 16 years.  I don’t love it, but I simply like it enough to keep pounding the pavement.  I started running when I was 15 to get in shape for basketball season.  Realizing my volleyball career was going nowhere (shocking, I know), I decided to try cross country.  I really enjoyed it and actually got somewhat decent at it by training really hard and learning how to mentally fight through “the wall.” 

The best part of the day was after the race when my three year old told me that I was running too fast when they saw me at the half way point.  She was trying to catch me but my speed was just too intense for her.  “Yes, darling, I know mommy is fast.  I hope you one day experience what it feels like to single handedly dominate a 45 year old man who is at half strength.”  Sweet victory!

A Tribute to My Husband

Marcel and I survived the 7 year itch!  I guess having 3 kids in 5 years will put you in a constant state of survival. J  On one hand it’s hard to believe that we’ve been married for 8 years and on the other hand I can’t believe that it’s only been 8 years.  I feel like I’ve known him my entire life.  We met in college when we were paired up in the annual homecoming skit put on by the Greek system.  I remember one of the first encounters with Marcel. On that particular night he walked me home to my dorm room.  We talked the entire way home and he completely opened up to me about his life (which for those of you who know Marcel, it’s not like him to talk about himself much – he’s usually the one listening and making you feel at ease).  He spoke of his mom dying when he was young and told me about his three sisters.  I had never heard anyone my age (18 years at the time) speak of their mother and sisters with such fondness.  I remember thinking that night, “someone is going to be a very lucky woman to have Marcel as a husband.”  I just didn’t know it would be me! 

Fast forward about 13 years and here we are celebrating our eighth year of marriage.  Life is much different now – we’ve got three kids, jobs, a mortgage and other responsibilities.  I’m no longer infatuated with Marcel like I was in those early days.  Now, I’m in love with him.  Love is not necessarily that ooey gooey, weak in the knees feeling.  Love is a choice.  I choose each and every day to unconditionally love Marcel, even when I don’t “feel” like it.  I’m making this sound like it is a chore and in my case, it is not.  My message is to simply say that in a society where marriage means absolutely nothing, it means everything to me.  We’ve evolved and we are completely different people than the day we said “I do.”  But that is the beauty of a covenant relationship.  Even as we change and times get tough (and they do!), the foundation of the covenant (the Holy Spirit) shines even brighter.  Marcel is my best friend, my cheerleader, my sounding board, my husband.  I simply wouldn’t do life without him.  I think the most beautiful image in the bible is Christ as the bridegroom and the church as His bride.  The church is in submission to Christ, but Christ laid down His life for the church.  I am fortunate to have a husband who models that and lays down his life for me daily. 

And they lived happily ever after…

Let's Eat!

It seems that I have turned into a little foodie lately.  A friend sent this wonderful blog (http://healthnutfoodie.blogspot.com) over a month ago about healthy eating and living and it really got me thinking.  I’m not completely unhealthy with my diet, but I don’t spend a lot of time making sure the food that I am eating/serving is actually benefiting my body.  That is until I read this blog and others like it to learn how to shop and cook for my family that will benefit our health, help with our energy levels, keep unwanted pounds away and eat some darn good food! 

As I’ve been reading this information, it’s really been an education on how poor the American diet is and how extremely frustrating it is that the FDA allows certain “food” items to sit on our grocery store shelves for consumption.  It is very frustrating that I can’t go to the grocery store and have a plethora of affordable food available to me that is not loaded with chemicals, pesticides, artificial sweeteners, artificial fillers, etc. 

We’ve decided to take action and improve our diet.  We are not going for perfection.  I’m not going to be the crazy mom that never lets her child enjoy a cupcake or McDonald’s french fries.  But the truth of the matter is cooking in a healthy way does not mean that you must deny yourself pleasurable food.  Healthy, clean food is full of great flavor!  I feel better knowing that I am feeding my kids FOOD that actually fuels their growing bodies. 

Here are some changes that we’ve made that really seem to be paying off: 

o     Sourcing organic produce where it makes sense.  Trying to be budget conscience, I only buy organic produce that made the “dirty dozen” list.  These are fruits/vegetables that have tested with the highest amounts of pesticide/chemical residue.  (http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2011/06/14/environment-group-releases-dirty-dozen-produce-list)  

o     Eliminating high fructose corn syrup as much as possible (this means giving up my beloved, daily soda pop!)

o     Eliminating nitrates/nitrites (often found in hot dogs, bacon, etc.  You can find nitrate/nitrite free options, usually a bit more expensive).

o     Eliminating partially hydrogenated oils
o     Eliminating food with dyes (i.e. red 3 or yellow 6)o     Using heart healthy oils to cook with (i.e. olive oil, coconut oil)

o     Sourcing grass fed beef from a local farmer

o     Sourcing the internet for easy, affordable, healthy recipes to feed my family (we’ve made lots of yummy things over the past month…pumpkin lasagna, quinoa risotto, pumpkin pancakes, homemade applesauce…)

Again, we’re not going for perfection, we’re just trying to make better choices in our overall diet.  I’m not going to freak out if I have an occasional soda or my favorite dessert (double stuffed Oreos).  I am however not going to purchase these items on a regular basis.  My biggest threat to the food industry is where I spend my $ so I want to make sure that I’m spending the majority on actual, clean FOOD!  Like anything, it’s easy to become obsessive and put your security in the food you eat.  I just want to do the best I can for my growing family!   

Changes

I mentioned in a previous blog post that life is all about seasons.  I am excited to say that our little family is about to enter an exciting new season.  Through much prayer, my husband and I have decided that I will retire from the boardroom setting for awhile and stay home with my kids on a full time basis.  I am absolutely thrilled about this!  It has been very bittersweet as I’ve told my boss, my team and other co-workers.  I’ve choked up a few times as I’ve made my announcement.  I’ve spent the last 8.5 years of my life at this company and have made some wonderful friends!  However, I am anxious to be able to savor this time a bit more while my children are so young.  I know I will never regret this.

I have no idea how long this season will last.  I’m leaving the details to God.  He’s told us that He will work them out J  I would welcome your prayers as I make this transition to full time motherhood in just a few short weeks. 

On a side note, in case you are wondering if this now means that my house will be clean on a more regular basis, I can assure you it does not.  My working outside the home has very little to do with its cleanliness.  I am just a messy housekeeper and unfortunately that fact doesn’t bother me L